Ironbridge Power Station: Contractor to begin demolition on Monday

A contractor has been appointed to handle the first stage of demolition at the former Ironbridge Power Station.

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Ironbridge Power Station

Keltbray has begun setting up a presence on the site with a view to beginning the demolition of two conveyors, and some associated structures, on Monday.

The work is expected to take around six weeks to complete.

Uniper, which took over the decommissioning of the site from energy company Eon, says conveyors six and seven and the accompanying conveyor tower need to be brought down because they are deteriorating structurally, and will help make way for the future demolition.

The conveyors need to be removed for safety reasons, to allow for electrical isolation from the National Grid substation which shares the site.

It is the first stage of the clearing of the station, which is due to be knocked down in its entirety next summer. This is a relatively small project and we don’t anticipate there being any impact on the local community,” said Ian Lacey, Uniper’s station closure manager. The power station has been shut since November 2015 and earlier this year, the 141-hectare site was put up for sale.

Property experts Cushman and Wakefield are handling the sale process on behalf of Uniper. The plant was officially switched off on November 20, 2015, after 46 years of service, following an EU directive.

Under the EU, ageing plants like Ironbridge were legally limited in the emissions they can produce and its operating hours were restricted in 2008.

The EU’s Large Combustion Plant Directive said the station had to end its life after passing the milestone of generating power for a total of 20,000 hours since January 1, 2008,

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So far, there has been mixed reactions to the potential loss of its iconic pink cooling towers, with many saying they would miss thesuch an iconic feature in the Ironbridge Gorge.

Councillors and groups from both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin are hoping to work with Uniper on the future of the site, which is one of the most important in both council areas.

The company said it had reached the decision to seek a buyer after considering a number of options for the site.

The site is nearing completion of decommissioning and full demolition of the site is expected to begin in 2018 subject to Shropshire Council approval.

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Uniper has set up both an enquiry line and an email address for anyone with questions regarding the site plans.

People should contact 0121 270 8855 and UniperUK@outlook.com respectively.

Any enquiries relating to the site sale process should be directed to david.tonks@cushwake.com.